WILSONVILLE -- Farmers recognize the economic opportunity: Visitors from the city eagerly wind through corn mazes and pet the goats. They'll pay good money for fruit and vegetables at roadside stands or to hold a wedding in the country.

Taking advantage, however, can be as challenging as growing a crop, panelists said at an agricultural conference Friday.

Land-use approval to build a tasting room, host parties or process jam from the farm's berries is just the first step, Johnson said. Fire codes, access requirements, health and safety regulations and traffic impact fees may become part of the package.

"You may get land-use approval and find you need to put in a sprinkler system, and back off real quick," Johnson said.

Johnson, Clackamas County Planning Director Mike McCallister and Portland attorney Ty Wyman said farmers should keep neighbors informed, understand the regulations and work closely with county planners when expanding commercial activities on farmland.

"For every farmer who wants to do this, I'll show you 10 who don't want to be next to it," Johnson said. "One person's opportunity is another person's situation to deal with when they're trying to farm."

McCallister said Clackamas County has received requests to hold musical performances, add paintball courses and build all-terrain vehicle tracks on farmland. Noise, traffic, parking, crowd size and frequency of events are all factors in the permit process, he said.

Wyman, the attorney, said working through Oregon's land-use system is like raising children -- but requires even more patience. It's crucial to understand the process, he said.

"Government is won by those who show up," Wyman said. "Oregon takes its land-use regulation very seriously. There is, generally, always a way through the process."

The three were among the speakers at the annual Ag Summit sponsored by the Portland firm Dunn Carney Allen Higgins & Tongue. Wyman is part of the firm's agricultural and natural resources practice group.

Other topics discussed at the conference included farm labor law, prospects for the 2012 federal farm bill, water quality regulations and a preview of ag issues that may arise in the February legislative session.

Among the conference speakers were Katy Coba, director of the state agriculture department, and U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, a Democrat representing Oregon's 5th District.